Pac-12 Football Roundup: Utah, Oregon Get Big Road Wins
Utah and Oregon seem headed for a showdown in the Pac-12 championship game after impressive road wins on Saturday, but look who’s in second place in the North and South divisions.
No. 9 Utah 33, Washington 28
Washington had a 14-3 lead midway through the second quarter and held a 21-13 advantage in the third quarter in Seattle, but the ninth-ranked Utes scored 20 straight points to take control of the game.
Utah quarterback Tyler Huntley, who began the day ranked sixth in the nation in passer rating, was 19-for-24 for 284 yards, a touchdown and no interceptions despite being slowed by a leg injury.
It was the second straight week that Washington (5-4, 2-4) let double-digit lead get away in a loss, and the Huskies have lost three games in which it led at halftime.
The Utes (8-1, 5-1 Pac-12) took over sole possession of first place in the Pac-12 South, thanks to USC’s loss to Oregon.
No. 7 Oregon 56, USC 17
USC actually led 10-0 in this game, but ended up getting blown out.
Oregon quarterback Justin Herbert began the game 0-for-3 with an interception, but after that he was 21-for-23 for 225 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions.
USC freshman QB Kedon Slovis committed four turnovers -- three interceptions and a fumble.
The back-breaking play came late in the first half. The Trojans (5-4, 4-2 Pac-12) scored a touchdown with 20 seconds left in the second quarter to close the deficit to 21-17. But Oregon’s Mykael Wright returned the ensuing kickoff 100 yards for a touchdown that made it 28-17 at halftime. The Ducks then took the second-half kickoff and drove 80 yards for a score that put Oregon ahead 35-17.
The seventh-ranked Ducks (8-1, 6-0 Pac-12) have won eight straight games, but they had eked out wins the past two games. The victory over USC was Oregon’s most impressive performance of the season, and it may convince observers that Oregon still has a shot at earning a berth in the College Football Playoff.
Oregon State 56, Arizona 38
Believe it or not, Oregon State (4-4, 3-2 Pac-12) is alone in second place in the Pac-12 North after crushing the defenseless Wildcats.
The Beavers scored more than 40 points for the third time this season, and they had 35 first-half points Saturday.
OSU quarterback Jake Luton was 20-for-26 with three TD passes and no interceptions as the Beavers rolled up 572 yards of offense.
Arizona (4-5, 2-4) has lost four in a row and has given up more than 40 points in all four. The Wildcats fired their defensive coordinator Marcel Yates during the week, but new defensive coordinator Chuck Cecil had no better luck.
Arizona had yielded more than 40 points six times this season, and has allowed more than 50 points three times.
Khalil Tate was the starting quarterback for Arizona, but freshman Grant Gunnell played much of the game.
UCLA 31, Colorado 14
The Bruins (4-5, 4-2 Pac-12) won their third straight game after their 1-5 start, and they are tied with USC for second place in the South, just a game behind first-place Utah, which is UCLA’s next opponent on Nov. 16.
UCLA QB Dorian Thompson-Robinson was 21-of-28 with two touchdowns and an interception and has thrown 12 touchdown passes over the past five games.
Colorado (3-6, 1-5) has lost five straight since its 3-1 start, and the Buffaloes have given up more than 30 points in every game this season.
